The Smallest Hero
by Annastesia LaFayette
Summary: The crew is mysteriously unconscious with no one to help them... except for one small quadruped.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** I haven't written anything in the first person format before and thought I'd give it a shot. Please let me know how I'm doing, or anything different that I can improve on. Thanks._

**_The Smallest Hero_**

**Chapter 1**

I wake in my warm, comfortable bed and playfully roll around. I'm just waiting for my human to come back, I know he'll be here soon, unless the other nice human distracts him and makes him late.

I hope the other one doesn't distract my human. I like the other one, I really do. I like his strange smells, he always seems to have different smells when I see him and it makes me wonder how he does it. I like the way he scratches me behind the ears and talks to me, but I don't like that he takes my human's attention away from me and sometimes making my human late with my food.

After a while of rolling, sniffing around, and patrolling my room, I become aware that my human is late coming to feed me. We have a routine, you know, and I don't like when my routine is disrupted.

Usually after I wake, roll, sniff and patrol my human is here. I run over to him, putting my front paws on his leg to let him know I missed him and that I've kept our area safe while he was gone. Then he speaks to me, letting me know that I've done a good job. After a moment for him to come in, he feeds me. That's one of my most favorite parts because I really like to eat. If my human left the food where I could reach it, I'd probably eat it all before he got back.

After I eat, my human always seems to have different fur on him. I always tell myself that I'm going to watch him to see how he changes his fur like that, but once my food is in front of me, I forget. Did I mention I like to eat?

After that, my human reaches in to a magic box and he has more food! Oh boy! I know that smell and I wag my tail while doing all the things that make him feel relaxed and playful. I don't know all the words he says since we speak different languages, but I know the words like "no" and "sit" and "Porthos." I figured out a long time ago that "Porthos" is what he calls me, like my name or something. It's ok that he calls me that because I know he couldn't pronounce my actual name in my language, so when I hear "Porthos" I look at him, or any other human that says it, to let them know I'm paying attention.

I really want that yummy smelling food that he eats, even though he tells me "no," so I give him my secret weapon..._the eyes._ He unusually lets out a noise that I learned was a good one and I'm rewarded with the yummy chunk of food. I try to get as much as I can from him, but when he says the word "doctor," I stop my begging.

I learned the hard way that the word "doctor" is a bad thing, the person isn't bad exactly, it just what they do to me that I don't like. One time this person that my human calls "doctor" made me go to sleep. When I woke up, I was wet, but it wasn't water, it smelled very gross and tasted even worse! Plus I had a headache for a long time and I couldn't play because I felt so terrible.

I could sense my human was very worried about this, but he didn't seem to be angry with the one he calls "doctor." He just took me back to our area and gave me the most attention I had had since I was little and taken away from my mom, brothers, and sisters to live with him. Even though I liked the attention, the headache, being wet with gross stuff and feeling sick wasn't worth it, so now these days, I do everything I can to make sure I don't have to see "doctor," even if it means not getting anymore of my human's yummy food.

I've been waiting a long time for my human to come back and finally deduce that the other one has distracted him...again. I walk in circles and whimpering near the area that makes my human vanish because I have a problem...a BIG problem!

By this time, my human would have opened the vanish area and I would get to go out and explore. It wouldn't be long before we would get to our other area where the grass grows and I'm allowed to relieve myself there. I had a few times in the past when I couldn't hold it, or simply forgot, and found a nice corner in our main area to relieve myself and I got into a lot of trouble for it. My human yelled at me, saying "Porthos! No! Bad! Bed!" He said other words too, but I don't know those words in his language, but I could tell he was very angry, and when he said "bed," I knew we wasn't going to play and I wasn't going to get much attention that night.

I'm about to bust, but I don't want my human to get mad at me, I have to think of something to get out of here and to the other area that I'm allowed to relieve myself. I look up to the wall and it suddenly occurs to me. Whenever my human is about to disappear, he touches that spot on the wall to make the vanish area open.

I wonder if it would work if I touched that spot. I jump as high as I can, but it's still too far. I try a few more times, closer, closer, closer..._BINGO!_ I touched the spot! The vanish area opens and I quickly run out.

The first thing I notice is something isn't right. Some of the humans are on the floor sleeping, and that's very wrong since I never see humans sleeping out here. I give a few of them a sniff, only vaguely recognizing their scent, but once assured that they are only sleeping, I rush to my relieving area since the problem has become very urgent. I'll investigate this other matter further in a moment.

After my much needed relief, I begin to wander around to sniff at the humans on the floor. It's so odd that they would be sleeping in these areas, usually they are walking on their two legs and making their noises. I sniff at one particular human. I know her scent. Yes, my species knows the difference between male and female of the humans. This female is a little different from the others though, she smells a little different, her natural scent not as strong as the other humans and her ears are the standing type.

In my species, there are those of us that have the down ears, like mine, and others who have standing ears. Some are born with standing ears, but some go to a special place to have their ears changed from the down type to the standing type. I could never figure out why they do that, I personally would never have that done because I like my down ears and my human seems to like them too.

This female doesn't like me very well, even though I like her. I don't know why she doesn't like me, I've never been mean or angry with her. My mom once told all of us that some humans simply don't like our species, no matter how nice we are to them. She also told us to be careful of the ones that don't like us because some can be mean and hurt us.

This female has never been mean or hurt me, in fact, I've never met a human that has hurt me, she just simply doesn't like me. I carefully nudge my nose against one of her front paws, hoping she'll wake up, hoping she won't be angry with me touching her. She did touch me once, but that was only because my human made her do it and I could tell right away she didn't like it. I guess from that moment on, we had an understanding. "I won't bother you as long as you don't bother me."

She doesn't wake from my touch and I decide that a little more prodding is in order and give her paw a tentative lick. She still doesn't wake, but somehow I just know that she shouldn't be sleeping on the floor in this area and I don't want my human to find her here sleeping and become angry with her.

I let out several loud yells. That usually wakes my human up, so it should work on her...right? "Wake up, human! Wake up!"

She still doesn't wake up and I realize she most likely doesn't understand my language, even though my human doesn't understand either, he at least knows "wake up," "play," "food," "potty," "danger," and "I'm sorry."

I take a chance. I know I'm crossing a line, and if she tells my human, he'll be angry with me, maybe make me go to bed early, but she's leaving me no other choice here! I give her quick, sloppy licks to her face. She still doesn't wake.

"I give up!" I groan out. I turn my head slightly to the side, watching for any movement that she might wake. "Ok. If my human finds you, don't say I didn't at least try." I mutter to her as she continues to sleep.

I walk away, trying to find at least _one_ human that's awake. As I sniff at some of the others and trying to wake them, I find one that I know very well. Oooh! I like this female a lot and she likes me too!

Sometimes when my human has to leave for a long time, he lets me stay in her area. We have lots of fun together playing "chase the round thing," and "pull the rope thing." She even gives me lots of snuggles, ear scratches and belly rubs. I like belly rubs! She never uses the "doctor" word when she gives me the yummy chunks of food and gives me a few chunks more than what my human gives.

Sometimes I wish my human would let her stay in our area all the time, not just because I like her so much, but my human's scent changes when she's around. His scent is happier, more calm and relaxed, but for some reason, whenever she leaves our area, my human feels a sudden need to bathe himself. Not really sure why he does that, he bathes me and I hate it! I snuck in to the bath box once after she left and he needed his bath. Crap! That water was cold! Never did that again.

I get to another vanishing area. Jump. Jump. Jump. Bingo! I hurry through and...crap. It's the moving box. I know this box, when the vanishing area opens again, I'll be someplace else. I don't really know why or how it works, it just does, but for some reason, I don't feel it moving! I start to panic. Maybe it's not the moving box. It smells like the moving box. Maybe...oh dang it! I look up and see another one of those touch things. Why do they have to be so high up? Jump. Jump. Jump. Bingo! Now it's moving...yea!

The vanishing area opens. I've never been here before, I must be careful. I take slow steps out. I feel something brush the tip of my tail and yell a little from being startled as I spin to see what touched me. The vanishing area closed again. I spin a few times to look at my tail. It seems to be in one piece, so I move along to explore this new place.

I see a human standing and rush over. "Oh thank you! Please you have to-" I stop talking as I notice something isn't quiet right. He's standing, but not really. He seems to be partly on top of this table thing. I'm not allowed on the table, so how come it's ok for him? I give him a sniff. I know this scent too. I can tell he likes me, but he usually keeps his distance. Whenever he gets near me, he starts sneezing loudly. Once I accidentally ran into his legs when we were someplace that had grass, dirt and trees. For some reason, his fur wasn't covering his legs. A few minutes later, he started scratching where I had ran into him. For some reason, it just seems best that I stay away from him.

I move along, giving little glances at the human to make sure I didn't make him sneeze or scratch when I come across another human. This one is sitting down, but he's laying across the table sleeping too. I give him a sniff. It's my second favorite human! The one that always smells different! "Wake up! Wake up!" I yell.

He doesn't move. I'm a little worried about this because he always gives me ear scratches when we see each other. "Please wake up." I say sounding very sad and alone, but he still doesn't move.

I sniff around some more. My human! My human! I see him sitting in a chair and he looks like he's sleeping. "Wake up human! Wake up and give me my food! What is wrong with you?"

I jump into his lap. I know I won't get in trouble for this, he usually likes when I sit in his lap. Once in a while, he'll put me back on the floor and say "blah blah no, blah blah Porthos." I really wish I understood the other words he says, but I figure if he puts me back on the floor, he has his reasons.

I lick his face frantically, trying to wake him. I know I won't get in trouble for this either because when I lick his face, he makes those good noises and his scent changes to a happy one.

I felt my back paw touch something on the chair, but I don't care, I'm just trying to wake my human up, then I hear this beep noise that makes me look around. I don't know what the noise was, or where it came from, I just hope it wasn't something bad.

I hear a voice behind me and turn. Holy crap what is that? I can't get a scent from it, but it looks like the other humans, only... ginormous! "Danger! Danger! Wake up human! Danger!" I begin to yell.

The "no scent" thing speaks. "Porthos?" My ears perk and I turn my head to the side as I stop my yelling. This "no scent" knows my human name? How could this be? Maybe the "no scent" can help me. "Help! All the humans are sleeping and won't wake up! Help!" I call out to the "no scent."

All I get in return is. "Blah blah, _CAPTAIN_, blah blah blah. Porthos, blah blah blah."

I know the word "Captain" and know that the "no scent" is talking about my human. I hear it a lot. "Captain," "Jon," "sir," "Archer," and "Jonathan." I know those are all words for my human. I don't know what he does around here, but he must be very important to have so many names.

Even though I can't smell the "no scent" the tone it used sounded angry when he said "Captain." I didn't like that tone. "Hey! Watch how you're talking to my human, or there's going to be trouble!" I tell the "no scent."

That must have scared it, because it vanished, leaving a dark spot on the wall. Well great! Good going, you just scared off the only thing that might be able to help me. I whine to myself.

I scrape at the chair, trying to make the beep again, and maybe bring back the "no scent," but it doesn't work. All I can do now is lay down in my human's lap and keep him safe until he wakes up.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:** Happy New Year everyone.__Thank You for the reviews, it is greatly appreciated._

**Chapter 2**

I'm sitting in my office going over the reports of the day when my comm channel beeps. I see it's a transmission from Enterprise. Funny, I wasn't expecting Archer to contact me today. I wonder what's wrong this time.

With a small sigh, I answer the call. "Admir-" I stop mid-sentence because I'm shocked at what I see. The bridge crew asleep at the wheel, Archer's dog on his lap, barking viciously? Something is very wrong. "Porthos?"

The dog stops barking, thank goodness, and cocks his head to the side. "What's going on? _CAPTAIN!_ Respond. Respond! How did Porthos open the channel?" Well crap. The dog is barking again. If that yapping isn't waking anyone up...I better get help to them.

I shut off the comm link, and the barking. The T'Mur, a Vulcan ship, was close to Enterprise. I put in a call to the Vulcans, with a slight distain. I don't mind the Vulcans really, I just hate asking them for help.

As expected, when the Commander answers, he has an air of smugness about him. "Commander Sertek. How may I assist you, Admiral Gardner?"

I swallow my pride before I speak. "Assist is correct, Commander. I just received a strange transmission from Enterprise. It seems the crew is unconscious, your ship is the closest and I'm requesting that you check on them, see what the problem is and render any assistance necessary."

He cocks that smug brow at me. Geez! Do _all_ Vulcans know how to do that? "It sounds illogical, Admiral. If the entire crew is unconscious...how did you receive a transmission?"

I shift for a moment, almost embarrassed at the answer. "Uh...it seems Archer's dog somehow opened the channel."

There goes that brow again. "Dog?"

"Uh, yeah. A quadruped, cani-" He cuts me off with a raise of his hand.

"I am aware of what a dog is, Admiral. What I question is how did a canine open a comlink channel? _Why_ is there a canine on board a starship?"

"I don't know how Porthos opened the channel, and he's Captain Archer's pet. Don't Vulcans keep pets?" I ask more of curiosity because I truly don't know.

"Yes, some choose to keep animals as pets, we just don't bring them with us during long term space travel. That would be quite...illogical." Sertek sounded a little too smug with his final thought, it prompted me to question further.

"Why is it illogical? Wouldn't you miss having your pet with you when you're on a long voyage, worry about them? Wouldn't you think your pet would miss you?"

There's that eyebrow again. "Missing an animal is a useless emotion. I for one have a sehlat as a pet, and I know she is being well cared for in my absence. My sehlat does not possess the higher brain function to "miss me," as you say. My pet wouldn't know the difference if I should return or not. Please send me the coordinates to Enterprise, and I will expedite the necessary assistance."

I send the coordinates, knowing that Archer will be happy for the help, just disappointed that it's the Vulcans coming to save his butt.

Archer had softened his feelings about the Vulcans over the years, but after growing up seeing how his father was treated by them, he still wanted to do his thing _without_ too much help or interference by them, proving that humans are smarter and stronger than what we're given credit for. I can't really blame him for that, but this is a very serious situation and pride needs to be set aside at the moment.

Sertek nods at me when he receives the coordinates. "It will take the T'Mur 23.8 minutes to reach them." He closes the channel without so much as a goodbye. You'd think I'd be used to that by now.

XXX

I have to admit, to myself at least, I'm not too happy about this interruption to my schedule. We have been out here charting, and taking scientific scans of a binary system for the past 10 months and 12 days. We were on our way back to Vulcan, and if I'm being honest...I do miss my sehlat. Maybe taking her with me next time wouldn't be so illogical, but the high command would never allow it, I am, if nothing else, a dutiful Vulcan and would never question the decisions of the high command.

At the expected time, I see Enterprise on the view screen and know we will board the ship in a matter of moments. I have oftened wondered why humans feel the need to refer to their vessels as "she" or "her," but that is a question for another day.

I order my away team to use their nasal anesthetic to inhibit the strong odors of the humans. Honestly, I don't know how the former Sub-Commander has been able to withstand it for so many years...let alone _mate_ with one of them. Yet again, a question for another day.

I receive the report of the initial scans of Enterprise. Carbon monoxide levels are very high, and rising. Perhaps I was premature in my order for the nasal anesthetic as I now give the order for full environmental suits.

We dock at the port side access and I patiently wait with my away team as the airlock decompresses. Once the airlock opens, we begin our scans of the unconscious humans, administering the hypospray injections that we brought with us.

As we move along, I see her. The former Sub-Commander. I know Vulcan physiology and reach for the hypospray that I brought specifically for her. After administering the medication, I order one of my men to carry her to the sickbay of the T'Mur and have our doctor begin treatment immediately. Illogical to take special care with her, I know, but she is my clan member and I can't help to have a drive to ensure she is one of the first to be treated while we get the carbon monoxide levels under control.

My sub-commander questions my decision. "Commander, it's illogical to expend extra time and effort to take one person to sickbay. She will receive treatment, with the rest of them, once the carbon monoxide levels are stable."

"She is the first officer of this ship, she needs to be treated and ready to take command of this vessel if Archer is not able to be revived." I answer without showing that I am giving her preferential treatment because of our family ties.

We split off into teams. One team navigating the halls and quarter areas to medicate the humans, another team goes to engineering to find and fix the carbon monoxide problem, and the team I am leading makes our way to the bridge.

As soon as the lift doors open, I hear a strange noise coming from where Captain Archer is sitting. Has he somehow been able to wake and making this odd noise? I begin to go towards the chair so that I can assist him. What I find is a little perplexing, and a little worrisome.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:** Thank you all for taking a moment to review, it is greatly appreciated and it makes me so happy that the story is being enjoyed. In case you haven't figured it out yet, most of those with speaking roles will have a first party dialogue as well. Like I said in the beginning, I haven't done this sort of format before, so I hope I do ok with it. Any suggestions will be appreciated._ _Thank You all._

**Chapter 3**

I hear a noise and smell something strange. I don't know what it is, but I will take caution and protect my human until I know for sure. I give a warning growl, but the odd thing is moving closer. Obviously it doesn't understand that I will protect my human at any cost. I growl again, although I do feel a bit strange and I worry that my efforts might be futile.

The odd looking two-leg starts to reach for me. I snarl and snap my teeth, the only weapon my species has, at it. Good. It recoils away. My human is safe.

I hear it speak. "Blah blah, Porthos." My ears perk. Maybe it's not a threat. I wag my tail slightly at hearing my human name, but I'm still not sure of this odd creature.

It reaches out to me again, this time much slower. It speaks, but I don't understand any of the words, but the tone seems friendly. I still feel strange as I begin to stand. I want to sniff and investigate this new arrival, but I seem to have some trouble doing so.

The creature touches me and I give a little growl to let it know I still don't trust it. It touches me a little firmer. Suddenly I feel a small poke in my neck and hear a sound I've heard before. Crap. It's the same sound I heard just before the one called "doctor" made me go to sleep. I whine. I don't want to wake up wet and covered with gross stuff.

Now I feel strange in a different way. I feel relaxed and my tummy seems to be getting a little better, like I just ate some grass. It's in my species instinct to eat grass when our tummies don't feel right, then we regurgitate it and our tummies feel better.

Uh-oh. I shouldn't have thought about regurgitating. I try to get off of my human's lap but I still feel a little weak and everything I look at is moving oddly. Ooops. Well...I hope someone tells my human I _tried_ to get out of his lap before I regurgitated. Ahhh...that made my tummy better.

The creature lifts me and I growl. I still don't trust it, even if it is speaking in soft, calming tones. I find myself on the floor and I try to stand, but I fall to my side. I shake my head, trying to get this funny feeling to go away. I'm sleepy. Think I'll just lay here for awhile and keep an eye on these creatures.

I hear a noise and the odd one is speaking again. There's another voice, but I don't see anyone. This happens quite often around here, hearing a voice, but no one is there, so I ignore it and continue to watch as the odd two-leg does something to my human. I'm not too concerned by it as it doesn't seem to hurt my human. I think I'm starting to trust this creature.

After it does whatever to my human, it...oh my goodness! It's taking off its head! What the..._what!_ It has another head? Ok...now I _know_ there's something wrong with me!

Ok, my human really needs to wake up now and take a look at this. The creature is taking off its paws, but its got another set of paws! Are you serious right now?

It reaches down to me, holding out one of its second set of paws. I'm not too sure what to think of this, so I take a slow, cautious step to sniff at it. This scent seems familiar. Its scent is similar to the human with the standing ears. The scent is light, somewhat calming and not aggressive. I'm pretty sure I can trust this one now and wag my tail to let it...him, yes, the scent is definitely male, I let him know that I trust him and won't attack.

I look up at his new head and see that he also has standing ears. I think he belongs to the same pack as the female I know from here. I give his leg a little pat, trying to get his attention. "A female of your pack is here. She is asleep like the rest of them. Help her. I can take you to her. Help her."

He bends down and gives me a scratch behind the ear. Oh that feels good. He begins to walk around the area, speaking to the others with him. I try to explain again. "The female of your pack, something is wrong. Help her." He doesn't acknowledge me, just keeps speaking to the others. It's times like this I wish we knew each other's languages.

I'm starting to feel better, my head doesn't hurt so much, my tummy is relieved and everything has stopped moving strangely. I'm feeling like my normal self again, and since these others can't understand what I'm saying to them, I go and lay beside my human's feet. I hope he wakes up soon.

XXX

I reach out to the canine and it growls, but I try to assure it that I'm not a threat as it continues to growl. It snaps at me, and I quickly pull my hand back. I know from having a pet, the canine is simply protecting its master, so I'm not angry at its reaction.

"You must be Porthos." I say in a calming voice. Ah, good. It understands its name. Logically, if it realizes that I know its name, it might think that I'm a friend and it can trust me. I reach out again, slowly, cautiously. It tries to stand, but has trouble. I believe the canine is beginning to suffer from the carbon monoxide as well. The only thing that has kept it safe so far, is being so close to the floor, but now that its been sitting higher up in its master's lap, the poisoning is affecting it.

Good. It lets me touch it. That's a good sign that we have formed a trust. I took the liberty to run a quick research on treating a canine for carbon monoxide and had a hypo prepared for it. I slip my other hand that holds the hypospray around without the canine seeing and administer the medication.

It seems to work quickly, as I expected it to do. The canine is trying to stand, but having difficulty. It will still take a few moments for the medication to be completely affective, so I'm not too concerned about it.

The canine is making some strange noises and its mid-section is moving in an odd manner. What is it doing? Is this normal? Oh dear. It vomited in the Captain's lap. Well...that's one of the many plights of being a pet owner.

I reach out for it again. "It's ok, I know you didn't mean to do that, and I'm sure your master will know as well." I pick up the small canine as it continues to growl. Its just instinct, I know, so I continue to speak softly to it to keep it calm. It may seem illogical to speak to a lower life form that doesn't understand what I'm saying, but logic also dictates that as long as I keep myself relaxed and speak in a soothing tone, it will also relax and eventually understand that I'm not a threat.

"That's a good canine. I'm just going to put you on the floor so that I can treat your master now. Good canine." I watch as the canine fails at an attempt to stand. I will have to keep an eye on it to make sure the medication is working.

I turn my attention to the Captain, injecting him with the oxygen rich medication that will flush his system of the carbon monoxide and deliver the much needed pure oxygen to his blood stream. My communicator signals. "Sertek responding." I say before I hear my engineer with his report.

"Commander. We have found the problem and have made the necessary repairs. I have taken the liberty of accelerating the venting protocols and delivering pure oxygen into they systems. It is safe for everyone remove their helmets now."

"Your actions are commendable and will be noted in my report. Sertek out."

I look back down to the canine. It seems to be fairing better now and I'm pleased at the outcome. I remove my helmet and gloves. After doing so, I reach down to allow the canine to get my natural scent, uninhibited by the environmental suit. My goal is that if the canine gets my natural scent, it will then understand that I'm not a threat and will completely trust me, allowing myself and my crew to move about freely without thought of an attack.

Good. It seems to understand and there is now full trust. The canine begins to paw at my leg and whining. It must sense that something is wrong with its master. Even though animals don't have the necessary brain function to comprehend emotions such as concern or compassion, they do have the instinct to sense when one is sick or injured.

I give it a reassuring scratch behind its ear, I've heard that canines find this action calming, although never try that with a sehlat if you prefer to have your arm remain attached to your body, so I find this action a bit abnormal...yet...pleasing. How fascinating.

I return to my duties as the canine whines again. I ignore it, knowing that this is an unusual event for the quadruped and it must just be simply trying to take in the situation. It finally settles and lay at its master's feet.

I turn my attention to the rest of my team. "Have the others been inoculated?" I ask one of my underlings.

"Yes Commander. They should begin regaining consciousness momentarily." She replies in her efficient manner.

I give her a curt nod. "Very well. And T'Pol?" I wish to know how she is fairing and suppress my anxiety for her well-being.

"Our physician reports that she is awake and meditating. She will be able to take command of Enterprise within 10 minutes, should it become necessary."

"Tell the physician to make sure she is ready. I don't believe the humans will overcome the affects of the poisoning as quickly as a Vulcan can. It very well may be likely she will need to take command."

"Yes sir." She nods and relays the message.

A moan from one of the other Enterprise crew members catches my attention. I begin to go to him to check his progress when I hear the scampering of small paws coming towards me. I take a calming breath as I silently hope that the trust built between myself and the canine is still holding.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews. I have to agree with Ken. A Vulcan thinking to take care of a dog is a pretty cool person._

**Chapter 4**

I hear a noise and see the other man start to move towards the noise. I know that noise, I've heard it before. It is the one with the unusual smells. He usually makes that noise when he wakes in that chair that's in my area, after he and my human have a night of drinking too much of that funny tasting water and he falls asleep there.

I don't mind that he falls asleep in our area, it's just the "before" when he and my human falls asleep I don't like. You see, when they drink too much of that funny water, they can get a bit loud and rambunctious.

One time they got so loud, I thought the other was angry with my human and might hurt him. Even though I like this other one, I will still protect my human. I barked and growled at him, letting him know I would attack if I needed to. My human yelled at me and said "Porthos! Bed!" It took me a moment to realize the loud noises they were making were happy noises...except when they were yelling at the moving picture box. To this day I still don't know why they yell at the moving picture box sometimes, but I've leaned to ignore it.

One time, my human fell asleep holding a bottle of the funny water. I tipped it over and tasted it. It tasted good so I drank more. When I woke the next day, I didn't feel very good and my head hurt so much. Worse than what "doctor" did to me. I now understand why my human and this other one makes those noises when they wake up after drinking the funny water. I never drank any of that water again!

He makes that noise again and I run to him. Oh thank goodness! Finally! Someone is awake!

The new man reaches down to him and they speak. The one with the unusual smells looks down at me and gives me a pat on the head as he says my human name. I wag my tail, excited that he's awake and happy when he says something I understand. "Good boy."

Oh! What's this? My human made a noise! Yea! He's awake! Joyous day! I run to him and jump into his lap, licking his face. He makes the happy noise for a second, but I can tell he's still not feeling very well.

"Porthos. Blah blah, down." He says and I obey. I jump down but I'm still so happy he's awake, if I'm not careful, my tail might fly off.

My joy is short lived when I sense my human is becoming angry. Uh-oh. I don't know what he's saying, but it's directed at me. "Blah blah, _PORTHOS!_ Blah blah blah."

I lay down. "I'm sorry." I say, but for what I'm not exactly sure.

XXX

I wake with a splitting headache. What happened? Why did I fall asleep at my bridge station? I never do that! Who the hell is this Vulcan standing over me? Ok. Time to get answers.

"Ugh...w-what happened? What's going on? Who are you?"

"I'm Commander Sertek of the T'Mur. We were contacted by Starfleet command when they discovered that your ship and crew were in distress. We have come to assist you. All of you have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning and were unconscious." He explains in his Vulcan-normal monotone.

"Commander Charles Tucker the third, chief engineer." I say as a way of introduction. "Carbon monoxide? How the hell did that happen?" I question a little shocked at the answer. There should have been a warning signal if the levels were rising. Why wasn't there a warning signal? Somebody at the SEC is going to get an earful when my head stops spinning.

"I am unsure of the details of the issue at this time. We have been focused on the inoculation of your crew. My engineer has resolved the issue, accelerated the venting sequence and filling the systems with pure oxygen." He says to me in that high and mighty Vulcan tone. God! These people get on my nerves. Except T'Pol...well sort of. At least I have fun arguing with her.

"Vents on full blast and pumping 100% oxygen, huh. I would have done the same thing." I say. See, us humans aren't as stupid as you think we are. I don't say that last part, and hopefully my headache is enough to keep the expression off my face. I look down and notice Porthos with a questioning look. Did the Vulcans bring him to the bridge?

I hear Sertek clear his throat. "It seems your Captain's canine has remained here to protect its master. It was a tense moment to gain its trust in order to assist your Captain." I find Sertek referring to Porthos as "it" a bit offensive.

"He." I correct Sertek as I give Porthos a pat on the head. "Porthos is a he. You protecting daddy? Good boy." Sertek cocks a brow. I know it's because I referred to Jon as "daddy," but I ignore it. Vulcans will never understand.

I hear Jon groan, and there goes Porthos to run over to him, forgetting all about his pal here. Chopped liver again. That's ok, I know Porthos loves his daddy. One of these days I'm gonna get my own dog.

Jon starts yelling. Oh geez why does he have to be so loud? I swear if I didn't know better, I'd say I was hungover. What he's yelling about would be comical if I didn't feel like crap. Think I'll make a quick getaway to sickbay.

XXX

I wake in my chair. Oh I feel horrible. Why are all these Vulcans on my ship? Omf! Porthos? What is he doing here? I can't help to laugh a little at him licking my face, but I feel to terrible to take it right now. "Porthos, not now. Down." I order firmly, but not in an angry way.

He obeys and jumps down. As soon as he does, I see my lap. "What the? _PORTHOS!_ Did you puke in my lap? Oh god that's disgusting! Somebody get me a towel. Gross!" He whimpers at me and gives me his puppy eyes. Aww...I'm sure he's sick too and couldn't help it. Now I feel like crumb for yelling at him. Well, a piece of cheese will make up for it.

I get the low-down of what's happened here as the Vulcan, Commander Sertek I learn, explains everything he knows to me. Phlox is going to have his work cut out dealing with the entire crew at one time. Sertek offers his doctor's assistance, and I accept, just to help ease the load for Phlox. I'm sure Phlox isn't feeling to swift at the moment either.

I discover that T'Pol had already been treated on the Vulcan ship, and their species recovers faster than humans from various forms of poisoning, including carbon monoxide...of course they do. I agree that it would be "logical" to put her in command until I'm on my feet again.

As I make my way to sickbay, Porthos is scampering around, sniffing at everybody and seems excited to see everyone slowly coming to. I have to admit, I'm excited as well. It's still a mystery as to how he got onto the bridge, as Sertek has told me he was there all along.

I'm still baffled by this carbon monoxide issue. Trip is going to get an earful when my head stops pounding.

Once I'm settled in sickbay, I notice Phlox looks like death warmed over, but he's a good doctor and is more concerned with tending to his patients before putting himself first. This is one of the reasons why I chose Phlox as my CMO, he will always put others first, no matter how crappy he might feel.

I insist that he check Porthos before me. Uh-oh, I know that look in my dog's eyes. Yep! He's mad at me. Ok...two pieces of cheese...who am I kidding? The day the poor guy has had, three pieces. Just don't puke on me again, dude.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: **Using the ampersand doesn't work, so I resorted to using a backslash in it's place. I'm not sure why it won't work, maybe because it won't translate from my device to the FF site? (bug perhaps?)_

_Anyway, I hope everyone is continuing to enjoy the story._

**Chapter 5**

So, here I am laying in the medical bed, looking over the PADD that Sertek has brought to me at my request. Of course Phlox is grumbling that I should be resting rather than working, but it's my job as chief engineer to figure out what happened. Besides, I feel better, my headache isn't as bad and ol' doc can cut me free any time he wants. Sometimes I think he just makes me sit around sickbay because he knows I hate it so much.

Jon is in the bed next to me, chewing at me for what happened. "I dunno, Cap'n." I mutter repeatedly to him, but he just keeps chewing and I keep muttering until he finally shuts up and closes his eyes. I like Jon as my friend and as my Cap'n, but sometimes he can really be a starving tick on a fat dog.

Finally! He quiets down enough so I can concentrate, which is a difficult task with this headache. I scowl at what I'm seeing. "You got to be kidding me. _KELBY!"_ I yell.

Jon jerks. "Trip? What's going on?"

I ignore him, all will be explained in a second when I hear Joe respond from across the room. "Yes sir?"

I'm a little miffed to say the least, and I don't try to hide it. "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Ensgin what's-her-name? You know she's fresh out of the academy and this is her first assignment! How could you let this happen? I outta bust your rank for this!"

"Trip? What's wrong? What happened?" Jon asks me trying to get a clue. I'm too focused on Kelby and the screw up to answer him right now.

"Ensgin Li, sir. I don't understand, what are you referring to?" I hear the uncertainty in Joe's voice. Well, yeah, I guess I did skip over that part. I take a deep breath and clam myself, the way T'Pol showed me, before I speak again.

"You sent Ensgin Li to check the vent systems and replace any components that needed it?" I say it as a question so he doesn't get on the defensive that I'm accusing him of something, regardless of my previous outburst.

He nods. "Yes sir. It's covered in the standard training at the academy. I was with her while she did the...oh no."

"Oh no? Oh no what, Lieutenant? What happened?" I'm not angry anymore, now I'm scared at what "oh no" is.

"Lieutenant Farnsworth needed help with the plasma coils. I-I thought that Li had everything under control and left her to finish up by herself. There was only one more junction to check. Sir? What happened?"

Ok...his explaination is reasonable. Li _should_ have been ok to do _one_ junction by herself. "It looks like a vent relay was replaced. The pictures the Vulcan engineer took before fixing the problem shows that the relay was inserted _backwards!_ The system inverted the venting sequences and instead of pumping the monoxide out of the ship, it pumped it _into_ the ship. At the same time, it tricked the sensors to show everthing was operating normally, that's why there wasn't a warning. Oh man! This should never have happened! I'm gonna have to get with the SEC and R/D to design a better system to make sure something like this doesn't happen on future fleet ships."

A collective groan let out between myself, Jon and Joe. "You mean all of this because one of _your_ people inserted a relay..._upside down?"_ Jon huffed at me and I could tell that I was in for a real butt chewing later.

To Joe's credit, he was quick to defend me. As much as we butt heads, we both know that when the chips are down, we got each other's backs. "Captain, sir. It's my fault. I know the Ensgin is green and I should have checked her work, the Commander was on the bridge and left me in charge. I take full responsibility, sir."

Jon shakes his head. "I'm in no condition to deal with this right now. I'll think more on this matter and decide if disciplinary actions are warranted when my head is clearer."

Well...that's why Jon is the Cap'n. He might be quick to jump at times, but when it comes to discipline and putting someone on report, he always thinks it through first.

XXX

I can't help but to keep asking Trip what happened. He's got that dang PADD angled so I can't see it and the only thing I can get out of him is "I dunno Cap'n." God, sometimes his twang irks me, but I know it's just the way he speaks, so I let it roll off my back.

Once in a while he pops off with some kind of word that really baffles me, like what the hell is a "yonder" and where is it? Oh well, guess I'm not going to get an answer from him right now, so I just stop asking questions and close my eyes. He'll talk to me when he has something to say.

I'm almost asleep with Porthos laying comfortably next to me when I hear Trip yelling, I won't lie, it makes me jump a little. I don't like when Trip yells at his people like that, but take it in stride because as a commanding officer, sometimes you do have to get on someone when the screw up too bad.

I try to ask him a couple of times what's going on, but he doesn't answer me. I've known the man for too long to know to stay out of the way when he's on a roll. He might get a little scattered and ahead of his own thoughts sometimes, but I know he'll eventually get to where he's going. So, I just wait it out quietly as he and Joseph figure this thing out in their way.

As I listen, I begin to see where this is going. Are you serious? How could Starfleet design such a crappy system? Especially when it comes to life support? Oh...somebody's bell is going to get rung when I put in my report to command! That's a promise.

Oh good. Trip is already on the ball wanting to get with the SEC about this dumb design. That's why I made him my chief engineer, he won't let things like this slide.

"You mean all of this because one of _your_ people inserted a relay..._upside down?"_ I grumble when I make my realization that this was all R/D's fault. Seriously...how could they make a relay that's possible to be inserted the wrong way? How stupid is that?

Oh man. I see the look on Trip's face and Joseph is quick to take responsibly. They took my meaning the wrong way. Well darn it! Oh well...the way I'm feeling, let them squirm for a while. "I'm in no condition to deal with this right now. I'll think more on this matter and decide if disciplinary actions are warranted when my head is clearer." I say as I roll over to close my eyes again.

XXX

I hear Tucker yelling at me. He always yells at me because he thinks he's better than me. Truthfully, I should be chief engineer, but since he's best buds with the Captain, he got the position, so I sigh and wonder what I'm going to get chewed out for this time as I respond. "Yes sir?"

The captain keeps asking Tucker what's wrong, but he's ignoring him. See what I mean about being best buds? If it were any other captain being ignored, Tucker would find himself transferred back planet side so fast he'd have whiplash.

There he goes on his tangent and I have absolutely no idea what he's talking about. "Ensgin Li, sir. I don't understand, what are you referring to?" I respond, trying to get his train wreck thoughts back on track. He asks me more questions and I answer...oh crap! What did Li do while I was helping Farnsworth?

There's a collective groan as the three of us realize what happened. Oh hells bells this _is_ my fault! Oh man...the Captain is going in on Trip. As much as I'd love to see Tucker taken down a few pegs, it really is my fault and I need to own up to it. "Captain, sir. It's my fault. I know the Ensgin is green and I should have checked her work, the Commander was on the bridge and left me in charge. I take full responsibility, sir." I'm probably going to get a reprimand on my record, maybe even a suspension, but as an adult, as a man, I'll take the heat for my mistake.

"I'm in no condition to deal with this right now. I'll think more on this matter and decide if disciplinary actions are warranted when my head is clearer." The Captain says as he rolls over to go to sleep. Geez! Sometimes I wish he'd just do whatever he's going to do and get it over with.

I lay staring at the ceiling, chewing on my lip as I imagine what the Captain is going to put in his report. I'll probably lose my commission and discharged from Starfleet. Crap! Why didn't I just take 5 minutes and check Li's work?

**_For anyone who doesn't know; "yonder" is distance. It could be 2 feet or 20 miles, but it's over yonder._**


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: **Thank you all for taking the time to review. A special thank you to Manuuk7 for your review. I'm glad that you find the various POV intriguing, it means a lot to me coming from a seasoned writer like you. I have been a fan of your stories for a while now, and I'm currently enjoying your recent story 'IT' Those of you who haven't read 'IT' yet, I encourage you to do so. It's full of mystery and intrigue._

**Chapter 6**

FINALLY! I get some food! I dive right into my food dish and start wolfing it down. Can you blame me? I haven't eaten in like...a year!

As I'm eating, I hear my human name a few times. When I look up, I see my human speaking to that box the "no scent" voice comes from. Like I said, it's a normal thing around here, so I ignore it. _*CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH*_ Have I told you how much I love eating?

My human finally gets up and goes to the other box. The magic food box. Oh boy! Oh boy! I know what he's getting. My nose goes wild as it gets a whiff of the yummy food. Whoa! What's this! A chunk of the yummy food is flying through the air at me and I didn't even have to use my secret weapon _the eyes!_ I jump up to catch it before my human knows what's happening and takes it from me.

Really? Are you kidding? My human reaches down to actually give me ANOTHER CHUNK! Wow! I take it from him carefully so I don't accidentally bite him.

I did that a few times when I was little, that was about the same time I learned the human word "no." I didn't mean to bite, I was little and excited about getting a special yummy treat. Once I bit too hard, trying to get to the food and my human yelped very loudly. Kind of like the way my brothers and sisters yelped when we played too rough. I leaned then to be slower and more cautious when taking food from my human. I don't want to hurt him, besides, he never offered food to me then take it away.

I can't believe I got 4 whole chunks and never once had to use the eyes on him. I hear him say "no" in the way that I know I'm not going to get any more of the yummy food, but that's ok. 4 chunks is a big deal with him.

He sits in his chair and I jump on his lap, eating up the attention I'm getting. He's rubbing my ears and belly...oh yeah! That's nice. "Good boy, Porthos! Blah blah blah good boy!" My tail goes crazy. I don't know what I did to deserve all this, but I'm not going to question it.

Oh no. All this excitement, I got a problem. I jump off my human's lap and hurry to the vanishing area. "Gotta go potty." I tell him.

"Blah blah potty." He responds as he gets up from his chair. See, told you he understands some of my words. He touches the spot that makes the vanishing area open. Thank goodness I don't have to jump up and do that again.

We start to walk to the area where I'm allowed to relieve myself and I can't help to be happy to see that everything is back to normal again.

Crap! Here comes the other one. He's going to distract my human. "Blah blah blah blah." Is all I hear either of them say. Ok...this is getting serious. "Potty! I really need to potty!" I complain urgently. I hear my human make one of his happy sounds and we are on our way again.

Now that I've been relieved and me and my human are back to our main area, it's time to go to bed, which I for one, am more than ready for.

XXX

I give Porthos his food and he dives right in. Poor guy. He's very late getting his meal tonight, but Phlox has assured me that his stomach is better and that it would be alright to allow the pup his full portion. Keeping my fingers crossed that Phlox is right and I don't spend the rest of the night cleaning up dog vomit.

I go over to my desk and put in a call to Admiral Gardner. I'm relieved when he smiles and asks how the crew is doing. "Much better, thank you sir. Sir, I am a little confused about something. Sertek told me that you contacted him to come help. How did you know we were in trouble? Did one of my people get a message off before passing out?"

He chuckles. "Actually, you can thank Porthos for that. It seems he somehow opened the comm to me, how he did it, I'll never know. I could see that you and the others on the bridge were unconscious, and the way Porthos was acting, I knew you needed help. I just wish it was our people instead of the Vulcans though."

I know Gardner well enough to know he wasn't speaking out of prejudice, but rather he, like me, feels the need to prove to the Vulcans that we are capable of handling ourselves out here in space. "Yes sir, so do I, but considering the urgency, I'm glad for any help we got."

"Yes, I read the T'Mur's initial report, this was a very serious situation. I'm sure you've had your hands full, and probably still not feeling very well. Get your report to me in a day or two, I want every detail. I can assure you Captain, there will be a full investigation and design changes will be taken to the table." He tells me with confidence.

I'm still a little taken aback by Porthos' role in this. "You said Porthos opened the channel? Sir, are you sure of that?"

He grins and shakes his head. I have a feeling he's not quiet believing it either. "I know, it sounds far fetched, but when the channel opened, there he was, sitting on your lap and barking his fool head off. Porthos is a real hero here. Maybe you should reward him with a juicy steak."

I look over at Porthos sitting next to his empty food bowl, and see him licking his lips. "Well sir, Porthos just finished his dinner, but I think I have something better than steak to reward him with."

"Whatever you think is appropriate, Captain. I look forward to your report, Gardner out."

I get up and go over to the food stasis to pull out a plate of cheese. I usually keep cheese in there as a snack, some fresh fruit as well. I toss a piece of cheese in the air for Porthos to catch. He seems a little surprised by it, and I guess he is since he usually has to beg before I cave in. Not today buddy, you really earned it.

After the fourth piece, I have to cut him off with a gentle "no." He really isn't suppose to have cheese because it doesn't agree with him, but Phlox has agreed that a little once in a while is ok. I could never say "no" when he gives me those puppy eyes.

We sit together in the chair as I give him ear scratches and belly rubs. I know I'm a grown man and captain of the ship, but behind closed doors, I can't help giving Porthos the 'baby talk.' "Good boy Porthos. You saved everyone on the ship. How you did it, I'll never know. Good boy!"

He jumps down and runs to the door whining. Well, I know what that means. "You need to go potty?"

As I walk Porthos to the arbouretum, we run into Trip. "Hey, how you feeling?" I ask.

"Better, thanks. Kelby is still a little freaked out you're gonna put him on report." He chuckles.

I already told Trip that I wasn't planning on putting anyone on report, so he's in on the joke. "Well, I'll let him off the hook in the morning. After this, I'm sure he'll keep a better eye on the newbies."

"I'm sure he will. Have you sent the report to Starfleet yet?" I can tell by his tone he's asking because he wants to get his two cents in.

"Not yet, I just spoke with Gardner and he's giving us a day or two so we can all recover. I'd like to get a report from you to add to it." I add that last bit because, as Captain, I have to let my crew think I'm always one step ahead of them.

"Oh, they'll get a report from me alright."

Uh-oh. I don't like that tone. He's steaming. "Just keep it professional, Trip."

Porthos whines and I see him do his "pee-pee dance" that always makes me chuckle and I know the matter is urgent. "I'd better get him down to the arbouretum ASAP."

"Yeah, good idea. I'll get that report to ya right away."

I still don't like his tone about the report and feel the need to reiterate as I walk away with Porthos, calling over my shoulder. "Keep it professional, I mean it."

XXX

I run into Jon as he's walking with Porthos. We take a moment to talk and I have a good chuckle about Kelby worrying himself. I already know Jon isn't going to put him on report, but with the crap that man puts me through, it's good for him to sweat for the night.

I want to give Starfleet a piece of my mind and ask Jon if he's sent the report yet. I'm glad to hear he hasn't, and I got more than enough time to get mine added. He tells me he wants a report from me to add to his. I haven't even said anything about that yet! How does he do that? Well...guess that's why he's the Cap'n.

Porthos whines and I see him stamper his feet. He must have to go really bad. Jon tells me to keep my report professional...twice.

I already got my report done! I can give Starfleet 10 different diagrams of how to make a relay circuit impossible to install the wrong way. Seriously! It's not that hard. My report pretty much says that and that they can kiss my lilly white...oh...yeah I guess I'm still pretty heated. Better scrub that report and start over in the morning when I'm feeling better and not as angry.

Hey. Did anyone figure out how Porthos got onto the bridge? Maybe I should work up something about that as well so it doesn't happen again. Jon would have a heart attack if Porthos showed up on the bridge during a battle.

I wonder if there's any lemon cake left in the mess. What's the movie showing this week? I should call my parents tomorrow. I should check in on T'Pol and see how she's feeling. Do I need to get my hair cut?

XXX

I close the channel with Jon, glad to hear that everyone is doing better, but according to one of the doctors I spoke to here at HQ, I understand that it will be a day or two before they're 100%. I give Jon a little leeway on his report, unusual I know, but with the day this crew has had, they deserve a little break.

I chuckle about a dog saving the day and a thought hits me. Porthos really was a hero. If it wasn't for him, Starfleet would have a ship full of dead crew right now and none of us would be the wiser for another day or two. A thought suddenly occurs to me.

I open my computer and find the file I'm looking for. I start to fill out the form and I'm stumped when I come to the line to add the rank. There's no bypassing that. Rank, rank...what rank do I put? I can't help the loud "HA" that comes from me. Oh this is going to be good.

XXX

I'm finally home on Vulcan. The events of the day were unusual to say the least. Giving my report to Starfleet wasn't so bad. The humans are agreeable with what's written down, maybe ask a question or two then it's done.

The Vulcan high command, on the other hand, can be very trying. I spent the last 3.42 hours answering questions about an inverted relay circuit, a human error in design, one they will have to figure out for themselves. Although, after speaking with him while in sickbay, I do believe this Commander Tucker may be the human to figure out a better design.

Additionally, I'm questioned to explain my reasoning for taking along a hypospray for a canine. I of course state that in order to maintain good diplomatic relations with the humans, it was only logical to think of treating Captain Archer's pet. Of course, the actual reason, that I would never admit to the high command or any other Vulcan, is that if it were _my_ pet, I would want someone to do the same.

Then another 6.79 hours answering questions about our mission to the binary system. Once that was finished, I spent 1.3 hours on a surface transport to my home. If I'm honest with myself, I'm relieved to walk through the door of my home and be able to finally relax.

I'm greated by my pet sehlat. I give her a pat on the head. Now that I'm in my own private domicile and no one around, I can afford to be slightly emotional. "Did you miss me girl? Daddy missed you. You're a good girl." If only the humans knew how Vulcans can truly behave behind closed doors.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** So I decided to go ahead and send out this final chapter rather than wait until tomorrow. Thank you all who have taken the time to review and thank you to my silent readers. I hope you all have enjoyed this little adventure._

**Chapter 7**

My human walks with me down the hall. I'm not really too sure where we're going, I don't need to relieve myself at the moment, besides, we're not going in that direction.

I take the time to just sniff around, taking in the scenery. It's not that unusual since sometimes my human walks me around to other areas just for fun. I like doing that, it gives me a chance to stretch my legs and explore areas I don't go to very often.

We walk into a large area that I've been to before, but there has never been so many humans here the other times I've been in this place and it's giving me a feeling of uncertainty. I'm not sure what's going on, but I sense my human is relaxed, so I'm sure it's nothing bad.

I sit at my human's feet as he stands in front of every one and speaking in his voice that I know is not an angry voice, just a little louder than usual so every one can hear him. Like I said, I don't know what he does around here, but I'm pretty sure it's something important because when he speaks, no one else does.

I hear him say my human name a few times and now I'm really wondering what the heck is going on. I've never been brought in front of so many before and have my name said like this. Sure, my human has taken me to places where there's a lot of others around, and food, there's always been food the other times, and they are usually walking around, speaking to one another and I'm pretty much left alone, hoping someone will drop some food.

This time is definitely different. I don't smell any food, only my human is speaking, and no one is walking around, just standing still as my human speaks. You know...I'm starting to think he's the leader of the human pack. Intresting.

He bends down and puts something on my collar. "Blah blah blah Porthos. Good boy." He says as he gives me a pat on the head. I don't know what he put on my collar, but it's kind of big and feels a little heavy.

Suddenly, there's a loud noise that frightens me a little and it makes me go into my natural "fight or flight" instinct. I begin to realize that the noise is happy noises and relax. I hear humans saying "good boy" and "blah blah Porthos." My tail goes crazy.

I still don't know what this thing my human put on my collar is, but I think it's something important, something to be proud of. I sit with my chest puffed out as the humans come to give me pats on the head, ear rubs and some offer their paw to me that I oblige and return my paw. Even the human with the standing ears pats my head. Wow! Now that was something very important.

After everything settled down, my human walks me back to our area. Still don't know what this thing is, but I can't help puffing my chest with pride as we walk.

Once we got back to our area, my human bent down and took the thing off my collar. I look at him a little sad. "Please don't take it off. I like it." Oh course he doesn't understand me and puts it on his table that I'm not allowed to be on.

My ears perk when I hear a noise. I know that noise, it means I have a visitor. Yea! I like getting visitors and I run to the vanishing area because I know that whoever it is will be there!

Oh yea! It's the nice human female that gives me extras of the yummy chunk food when I spend the night with her. She never brings any of the yummy food with her when she visits, so I don't get my hopes up, but she does have something that smells extra yummy when she gives it to my human.

She bends down and gives me her extra special ear rubs. Only she gives me those ear rubs and it makes me happy. I hear her say "good Porthos, good boy." and that makes me very happy.

She and my human speak a little before she starts to go back to the vanish area, so I know I won't see her again for a long time. Something very shocking happens. I hear the word "Hoshi." Hey! I just learned a new human word! I wonder what this word "Hoshi" means.

I think about it for a while and I realize my human says that word a lot when she's around, sometimes when she's not around, and sometimes I hear my human say that word when he's sleeping. I'm going to have to pay attention and figure out what "Hoshi" means.

After she goes through the vanishing area, my human stands staring at the spot. He does that sometimes. Maybe he's fascinated about the vanishing area too...but then again, he only does that when she vanishes.

I give him a little whine to get his attention. I'm curious about that yummy smell he has. "Blah blah Porthos."

He sets the dish down in front of me. I never smelled anything this yummy before and I take a little taste. Mmmm. I look to my human just to make sure it's ok for me to eat it, but he's going into the other area. I know what that means. He's going to go in the bath box and make the water very cold. Seriously, why does he do that? Oh well. _*Nom nom nom._*

XXX

I about fell out of my chair in a laughing fit when I received the package from Admiral Gardner at Starfleet HQ, but at the same time, this is a very serious occasion.

I have the crew assembled in the cargo bay and I'm feeling pretty proud of Porthos as I walk him there. I know he won't understand what's going on, and it's really a show for the crew than him but still, I'm proud of my pup.

He obeys when I tell him to sit next to me, a true and loyal Starfleet crew member if I ever saw one. I give a smile as I begin my speech.

"We are assembled here today to pay honor to a true hero. Without the bravery and wisdom of this crew member, I shudder to think of the outcome we all would have suffered. This member has been with us since our maiden voyage, and while we never really give him too much thought or credit, he has been a friend and companion to many of us.

"The events that took place a few weeks ago only proves that we should not take him for granite simply because of his size or species. He proved to all of us, myself included, that he will go to great lengths to protect us and care for us."

I reach into the wooden box and pull out the medal that was sent.

"In recognition of your bravery, heroic acts, and performing above and beyond the call, by order of Starfleet command, I award the bronze star to honory _Captain_ Porthos."

I bend down to fix the metal to his collar, give him a pat on the head. "I'm very proud of you, Porthos. Good boy." Then I give a slight nod to my crew that they have permission to celebrate. Applause, cheers and rounds of "good boy" and "good Porthos" fill the air. I swear, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was puffing with pride.

I dismiss the crew and most of them stop to give Porthos their personal congratulations and appreciation. Trip offers his hand to Porthos, which he immediately puts his paw in, as I did teach him to "shake."

Trip smiles. "Good job Porthos. You really saved our bacon."

I was stunned when T'Pol stopped to give Porthos a pat on the head. She looks up at me, and I have to smile at her Vulcan-esque remark. "Your canine obviously posses great intellect...for a canine."

"Thanks, Commander." I say to her, trying to stifle a laugh, knowing what she really means is "you have a smart dog." Really, why do Vulcans always have to make the simplest comments sound so overly intellectual?

I have to chuckle as I walk Porthos back to our quarters. He's almost trotting and that chest! If he sticks it out any further...hmm...maybe dogs really do feel a sense of pride.

We get back and I take the metal from his collar. I'm going to frame it and hang it on the wall. I really am proud of my dog. He gives me a whine when I take it off his collar, he must really like it.

We haven't been back very long when the door chime rings. I can't help but give a little smile when I see Hoshi. I step to the side and invite her in as she hands me a plate.

I eye it curiously wondering what it could be as she bends down to give Porthos one of her playfully rough ear scratches and telling him what a good boy he is. I can't help but to sneak a glance at her bent over. I might be Captain, but I'm still a man, after all.

She stands and looks towards the plate that is now in my hands. "I asked chef to make something special for Porthos to celebrate his...promotion." She giggles and I grin stupidly. I really like her little, light giggle.

"Oh. Uh...what is it?" I ask to be sure it's not something that might upset his stomach, but mainly just to stall her for an extra minute or two.

"It's mostly ground chicken breast, some chopped chicken liver and a little ground beef. I know he has a sensitive stomach, so I made sure chef didn't season any of the meat before he cooked it, and there's only a small portion of beef, so it shouldn't be too heavy on his stomach." She always did understand Porthos' dietary needs. That's why I trust her to take care of him when I'm gone for a few days.

I start to ask her to join me for dinner, but before I get the chance, she says she has to get back to the bridge. Duty first, of course. So instead, I simply say "I'm sure he'll enjoy this, thanks Hoshi."

She turns and leaves. I stand there like an idiot wishing I could tell her how I feel about her, wishing I could show her the dirty little fantasies I have about her.

I hear Porthos whine. His head is tilted and his nose is wiggling. He can smell what I have for him. "Oh. Sorry Porthos."

I set the dish down in front of him. I think I need a shower. A cold one.

XXX

I ask chef to prepare a plate for Porthos, as a special reward for saving all of us, even though the pup didn't know that's what he had done and it was all circumstance, but nonetheless.

I smile sweetly as I hand the plate to the Captain. I may be a linguist, possibly the best on Earth, but I also know body language and I know Archer has a thing for me. If I'm being honest, the feeling is mutual.

I have to smile at the fact of him checking me out when I bent over to give Porthos a scratch behind the ears. I'm so glad I wore my tight fitting uniform.

It's a shame really that I have the beta shift this week. The way he shifted, I'm sure he was about to ask me to stay, perhaps come clean about his feelings.

It wouldn't matter though, him being Captain and me an Ensgin, it couldn't happen. Maybe with luck, someday, something will change and we can both be honest with one another.

**_End._**

**_Thank you all for reading. Until next time, Peace and Love to you all, my friends. _**


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